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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rest — a break
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wound — an injury
  14. track — a song
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mug — to rob
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. track — a path
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mug — a face
  24. mine — for digging

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com